Labyrinth: A New Love
by Ana Mazami
Summary: Long after Sarah had moved on he moves on and finds his interest in another young girl. She's run the Labyrinth and exchanged herself for her sister's freedom.A beautiful romance.My first fan fic since I was 16 so be nice please. CHAPTER 8 NOW POSTED!
1. Chapter 1

Labyrinth: A New Love

By: Ana Mazami

Written on: October 16,2007

Chapter 1

Not long after Sarah had gone on with her life and married, the goblin king started looking for someone that was younger, however not as young as Sarah was. He soon piqued an interest in a young girl and had given her the same powers as Sarah once had. Her name was Ana. A twenty-year old young woman who's life still remained in the fantasy world despite her hardships.

Having to practically raise her little sister at a young age due to her mother's illness and her poor choice in men that rarely helped at all with anything around the house, she soon came to resent her mother and little sister. One night, when she had enough of being an acting guardian to a defiant ten-year old child, she couldn't help but wonder what life would be like without these burdens.

She looked up to the glimmering night sky, "Oh goblin king! I wish you could free me from this burden. Take my sister away or take me away and free me of this poor excuse of a life." She muttered out her window. At that moment her little sister disappeared from the bed across the room. "Oh no..." she muttered to herself, "Where'd she go?" she asked herself.

"You know very well where she is." Replied a cool and arrogant voice from behind her, she whipped around and let out a gasp to what marvel stood before her. There stood a man with platinum blonde hair styled in a mullet, mismatched eyes that were accentuated them into a curve that made him look almost evil.

"Who-Who are you?" She stuttered as she backed up against the window pane.

He smirked, "You know who I am." He replied as he took a step toward her and placed a gentle hand on her cheek to calm her shaking.

She was immediately soothed by his touch, "You-You're the goblin king? With all due respect, please, send her back and take me. I'll do whatever you wish." She pleaded.

He let out a heavy sigh, "Dear Ana, it is far from that simple. You may come but before you are able to be exchanged places with your younger sister you must accomplish a task of some sort first." He explained as she observed her delicate features and almond shaped eyes with a glint of deep jade.

"What kind of task?" she asked worriedly as she jingled her keys in the pocket of her hooded sweater out of nervousness.

"Solve my labyrinth in less than thirteen hours and you can have that exchange." He said as they immediately appeared in a bright sunrise before a huge labyrinth.

Ana's heart sank as she saw it but soon shrugged it off, "Not bad!" she muttered to herself, "I'll see you at the end!" she said as she ran down the hill wasting no time. She looked around down the wall to see if there was a door anywhere.

All of a sudden she saw a little oddly figured man, "Excuse me! How do I get into the labyrinth?" She asked him nervously.

He quickly turned around, "Oh! I'm sorry young lady! What dids you say?" He asked quickly.

"How do I get into the labyrinth?" she repeated as she pulled out a cigarette out of her pocket with her lighter out of the other pocket.

"You gets in there!" he replied as he pointed right behind him.

"But that was just a solid wall a second ago!" she replied sceptically as she approached the door and felt the frame to see if it was truly there.

"Sceptical aren'tcha?!" he asked from behind her.

She didn't give him much time to say anything else before she went jogging around the corner. She ran her hands along the walls to feel for any openings to notice one. She felt an immediate gap in the wall to her right and took the left after she took a second to assess it. She took a final drag of her smoke and flicked it away. She looked around clueless as to where to go and caught all the twists and turns she had to take to head towards the castle.

All of a sudden she came to a split where it seemed like a dead end, it was just two different coloured doors. One red and one blue, but one thing was similar to both of them. They seemed to hold each other into an odd position. "Excuse me, which one of you leads to the castle?" She asked trying to assess which one would be most likely to be the right one.

"You can't ask us! You can only ask one of us, and one of us always tells the truth and one of us always lies" replied the one in red.

Ana sighed as she looked at them both, she was really good at reading people when it came to lies. She soon approached the red door and looked to it, "Does this door lead to the castle?" She asked as she read his features.

After a moment of snickering and thought he replied a simple "no." She knew he was lying. She walked through the door and lucky for her she had not run into a trap. She ran through the maze even more and saw a clock and noticed she was only in the labyrinth for two and a half hours and she was already half way there.

Meanwhile Jareth watched Ana through a small crystal ball as he stroked her younger sister's hair as she lay there asleep. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "Smart one isn't she?" he asked himself as he continued to watch her, "maybe we should make her have some fun with the firies for a bit." He said as he stroked the crystal which was zoomed in on the image of Ana's face as she took a breath before continuing on.

Ana had now reached the deep forest and ran her way through to find a rather scary looking red furry creature dancing by a fire surrounded by oddly perfect stones. "Excuse me, do you know where the castle is?" she asked the creature hiding her fear for him as to not insult him in case she insulted it and was sent on a run around.

"Just join the party and I'll show ya' where to go!" It replied as four more of the same species emerged into her sight.

She shrugged and joined in. An hour passed and still they hadn't showed her the way. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now... I don't have much time to waste." She said gratefully as she then ran on and kept going.

Five hours had now passed and she finally took to jogging the remainder of the way to the city gates. After a few minutes she came by a junk yard and paid it no mind ignoring the odd creatures that were collecting odd treasures from the garbage. She caught her breath before she entered the gate and opened the gate and sprinted through the rest of the city arriving at the front door of the castle. She let out a sigh as she pushed the door open, "Too easy!" she muttered to herself as she ran up the stairs to the throne room to see the Goblin King himself sitting there as he stroked her little sister's hair.

"Well I see you've made it with six and a half hours to spare! I have to admit that I am impressed! Like agreed she will be returned home as if she never were gone and you will be forgotten by all in the above ground as you stay here. Agreed?" he said as he stated his terms.

Ana nodded with a curtsy, "Agreed your majesty." She said showing as much respect to him as possible.

"No need to be so formal, you're but a guest here and shall be treated as such, as much as I appreciate the respect." He said with a smile.

Kayla disappeared as she was back in her bed now.

Ana sighed exhausted from literally running through thelabyrinth as lonely as it was. Jareth noticed her weariness and smirked, "Are you hungry?" he asked as he got up and walked over to her pulling her bangs out of her face.

"Yes I am your majesty." She replied unsure how to react to his habit of fixing every flaw she seemed to have. She took a sharp inhale of breath and closed her eyes trying to not lose her cool.

He placed a gentle hand on her back and offered his hand, "Shall we?" he asked.

She took his hand, "Yes we shall." she replied as she followed his lead down the hall into the dining room which wasn't as large as the dining hall. One was used for everyday affairs and one was used for special gatherings and hosting.

She sat down and looked across the table. It was rather long even compared to what she was used to seeing, even for the fanciest restaurant she ever visited. Not long after they had finished eating he escorted her to her room and she almost immediately fell asleep as she landed on the feather soft bed. She didn't even curl under the sheets she was so tired.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ana awoke in a sense of disorientation. She didn't remember where she was but soon remembered that she was right within Jareth's castle. She sat up and looked into the mirror of her vanity to quickly comb her fingers through her hair.

An emerald green dress lay on a chair beside her fireplace with a note on top of it with almost perfect penmanship. It read:

_Dear Ana,_

_I hope you don't mind, but I took the luxury of giving you some appropriate attire and hope that it fits to your tastes._

_Regards;__Jareth_

She stood before it and ran her fingers along the embroidery. It looked absolutely beautiful. It had been something that she would have imagined in a fairy tale, but it was all too real, right down to the Celtic knot designs around everywhere the dress ended. She observed it but couldn't help being scared of breaking it as much as another part of her wanted to put it on almost that very second.

All of a sudden a maid came in and brought her in her breakfast, "Good morning m'lady!" She said cheerfully in her heavy Irish accent. "Did you sleep well?" she asked as she placed the tray on her vanity and went to draw her bath.

"I slept very well, thank you." She said as she picked an orange slice off of the tray and bit into it. She then sat down and enjoyed the rest of her breakfast as her bath was being drawn for her.

The maid then walked out and gave a short curtsy, "Your bath is ready m'lady." She said pleasantly.

"Thank You." She replied as she got up and closed the bathroom door behind her.

To her surprise the bathroom looked like a wading pool she had seen at the community center when she went swimming. She took her bath and then walked out in a silken bath robe. "Would you like for me to help you with your dress m'lady?" She asked.

Ana nodded. She undid her bath robe and allowed the maid to help her change into the lovely dress. The sleeves went all the way to her middle finger where a string wrapped around her finger. She sat at her vanity and let the maid comb her hair and put it up in a beautiful loose bun. She did her own make-up which was a simple effect of eye shadow, eye liner and lip stick.

The maid looked at her with a smile as Ana looked at herself in the full length mirror. She couldn't even recognise herself with the gold woven into her long blonde hair to hold her hair loosely and the emerald green accentuated her jade eyes making her look almost other worldly. She couldn't help but double look herself as she turned away and looked to her maid. "So what's on the agenda today?" she asked her maid.

Her maid smiled, "Lord Jareth wishes to see you in his study and he will brief you on your day." She replied quietly.

Ana looked almost nervous, "Do I have an escort to show me there? I'm afraid I'd probably get lost." She asked lightly.

"Why of course m'lady. His majesty has asked that I bring you myself." She replied almost proud that she was given a more rewarding task as opposed to cleaning up after the goblins, whom were a nuisance in her opinion.

Ana walked into the study shyly, "Excuse me your majesty, you wanted to see me?" she asked as she gave a slight curtsy upon entering the room.

Jareth looked up from the papers he was reading over, "Yes, sit." He replied shortly as he signalled to a seat in front of his Ebony desk.

She nodded as she walked up and immediately took a seat.

He put his papers down and took one good look at her and his lips curved almost threatening a smile, "Are you aware of the position you have gotten yourself into?" he asked as her looked at her intently.

Ana couldn't help but shrug, "No, unfortunately I might as well be walking blindfolded your majesty." She replied having a hunch she was going to be told and it was going to be blunt.

He nodded, "I thought as much... you have one of two choices and I doubt you'll like either of the options. You can choose to agree to marry me or you can choose to be turned into a goblin." He replied with a sigh.

Ana nodded accepting the action of her own wishes. "I understand your majesty and if you request an answer immediately, I chose to marry you... I rather not lose my beauty to look like something that I saw on my way here." She replied lightly with a slight giggle.

He couldn't help but laugh himself, for he probably would have chosen the same seeing as how vain he is. "I thought you would have said something along those lines, however I never expected you to be so level headed about your current situation." He replied looking at her somewhat intrigued by her very attitude.

Ana smiled, "I can't help but face the consequences of my words your majesty. I knew there would probably be some sort of catch whether it is that I am a servant in the castle or something of the sort, I knew I had to face the very music I wrote in some way or another." She replied calmly.

He smiled as a crystal appeared within his hand. "In due time you will begin to develop powers from being here for so long, in that time I ask that you try not to use them until you are given the proper instruction. You will have to follow a few rules before we wed. You cannot leave the castle grounds unescorted and without my explicit permission, you are to report here every morning where you will learn about your political duties as a queen, and for the next few years you will not be able to return above ground. I have taken the luxury of having all your stuff brought down here so that there is no evidence of your existence aboveground. Do we have an understanding?" he asked strictly.

Ana nodded as she tried to take in all that information, "I have one question however, is it considered politically correct for a queen or future queen to smoke cigarettes?" she asked.

He gave her a look of disappointment, "I suppose you are one of those mortals whom have a dependency on it am I right?" he asked, she nodded. He let out a sigh, "You may smoke, however you will need to know when it is and isn't appropriate to smoke." He said.

Ana nodded, "It isn't much different from what it was above ground." She replied calmly.

He smiled, "Fine." He replied in a sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

For the remainder of her day she sat in the study as she paid close attention to Jareth's explanations. She walked out onto the balcony for a brief moment as she looked out onto the tremendous labyrinth that spanned out for what seemed to be miles. She let out a heavy sigh as she lit a cigarette and quietly watched as parts of the labyrinth changed. Her mind drifted to the mere thought of her mother and sister and tears stung her eyes. Trying to be strong she fought them back trying to not let Jareth see her cry. Instead she let out a burdened sigh and closed her eyes. He first tear rolled down the side of her cheek and she wiped it away and took a drag of her cigarette. She knew she couldn't argue the words she bound herself to by arranging herself into a marriage with Jareth. She took the final drag of her cigarette and threw it away and fixed herself a bit before re-entering the study.

Jareth couldn't help but feel sorry for her in that very moment. She had lost everything just for her sister's freedom and he had been ever so strict. "Ana? Are you alright?" he asked as he tried to look unaffected by what he saw.

Ana snapped out of it as she sat on the chair, "huh?" she asked quietly, "Oh, Yes I'm fine your majesty!" she replied calmly trying to calm her emotions and pushed her thoughts away.

A knock soon came to the door. "Come in!" he said loudly.

A maid entered the room and curtsied before them both, "Your majesty, Lady Ana, dinner is ready. Will you be taking it in here or in the dining room?" she asked politely.

"We'll take it in the dining room." He replied as he stood and walked beside Ana and extended his hand to Ana.

She took it without a second thought, "Thank you." She said quietly.

They walked down the halls quietly. Ana's thoughts were far from there as her eyes were lowered in deep thought. Jareth had to tug her arm quite a few times as they turned because she was paying so little attention. As she sat and ate she picked at her salad a bit and it was beginning to worry Jareth. "Might I ask you what burdens your mind so?" he asked quietly from across the table.

Ana looked up, "I'm sorry your majesty, I've just been thinking of my family back above ground. I just miss them terribly." She said as she poked a leaf of lettuce off of her plate.

He looked at her gently, "I can completely understand. You gave up your family for your sister's freedom." He replied understandingly.

"I'm sorry if it's bothering you your majesty... I didn't know it was that evident." She said apologetically.

"No need to be so formal or be sorry. From now on I'd prefer that you call me Jareth and that you be honest about what is bothering you. After all, we are betrothed." He explained softly.

Ana nodded, "I understand your- ... I mean Jareth." She said feeling a bit better about what bothered her. "So when is it that we are to be married?" she asked as she then took a sip of the sweet wine in front of her.

"Within a week's time." He replied quickly.

Ana nearly choked on her wine as she took her napkin to cover her mouth, "I beg your pardon?" She asked, "I don't think I heard that right. You did not say within a week's time right?"

"No, within a week we will be married." He replied firmly as in making it an order.

She looked at him as she took her final bite of her meal and placed her fork on her plate, "Might I please be excused? I would like to go out to the garden for some fresh air if that would be okay." She said as she placed her napkin on the table.

He nodded, "You may and your handmaiden will be your escort." He replied.

Ana walked out into the garden as her handmaiden was relieved to sitting on a bench as she sat on the edge of the fountain running her fingers along the edge of the surface of the water as she saw a few fish swim along the surface and sucked gently on her finger. She couldn't help but smile.

"Mom you'd be so proud of me if you really knew what I did for Kayla." She said to herself quietly.

"Indeed she would be." Replied Jareth's voice coolly.

Ana turned around and looked at him, "How do you know?" she asked as her voice had a bit of a sting of resentment.

"It's typical of a mother to do so." He replied calmly.

Ana got up and walked away. She looked out onto the sight of the moon rising above the labyrinth "I rather be alone for a while." She said coldly.

He ran his hands down her arms. "I'm just concerned about you." He said in a whisper in her ear.

"I just thought my wedding day would be different. I thought my mother would be there for me and my father would walk me down the aisle and it would a man I truly loved... no offense." She said quietly as tears stung her eyes and soon rolled down her cheeks.

Jareth pulled her forward and held her in a hug as she cried. "Umm... Jareth, Can you let me go now? It's kind of getting weird here." She said as she pulled away. "I appreciate the gesture however." She said kindly as she pulled a strand of hair that fell out.

Ana laid in bed that night after fighting with the gold ribbon holding her hair in. "That woman is never touching my hair again!" she muttered to herself as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ana awoke somewhat relieved of the burden that once plagued her mind. She rolled over in bed to face the ever so soothing sunrise through her balcony doors. She took in a soft intake of breath and pulled herself out of bed.

Almost instinctively her maid walked through the door with her breakfast and a pleasant smile on her face, "Good morning m'lady! Shall I assume you've slept well last night?" She asked pleasantly with a curtsy.

Ana nodded as she stretched, "Yes, very well actually... Have you heard anything of the wedding arrangements as of late?" she asked running a hand through her hair.

The maid shook her head, "Not yet, but I am sure the arrangements will start soon seeing as his majesty sent out the invitations just today." She said, "But that's all I've heard from the gossip in the kitchen."

Ana couldn't help but giggle as she sipped her juice, "So it is true what they say about nobility... their servants seem to know everything." She joked lightly.

"It would seem so my lady." She replied pleasantly as she pulled out a crimson dress with gold detail for Ana to wear and immediately went to run Ana her bath. Ana ate her breakfast and soon went into the washroom and took her bath. Once she walked out she saw her maid holding the brush, "There will be no need to do my hair today, I'll do it myself today."

She said with a pleasant smile as she took the brush and ran the brush through her hair gently and pulling it back in a simple braid. The maid looked at her simple braid and asked if she could pull it in to make it look somewhat more elegant. She sighed and allowed her to do so. Ana then slipped herself into her dress and allowed her maid to tightly pull on the lacing in the back. Her face was done as simply as the day before with a few alterations of colour to match her attire, red eye-shadow fading into gold around the crease. A simple black eye liner running along her eyes and going up to accentuate her eyelashes which were well brought out with some mascara and lipstick seemed almost necessary to pull it all together in a deep shade of red that almost seemed like a rusted brown. She looked into the mirror and was pleased with the results.

"Shall we go see his majesty now m'lady?" asked her maid.

Ana nodded and followed her escort to the study. Ana entered the study only to be greeted to Jareth circling her like a vulture would to its dying prey. "May I ask why I'm under such thorough inspection?" she asked Jareth trying to hold back a giggle.

"Something's missing... I have but noticed that my fiancé doesn't have an engagement ring." He replied simply as a crystal orb appeared in his hand.

Within that crystal was an emerald ring surrounded by a simple ring of diamonds. Ana couldn't help blush or be surprised by this simple gesture. "I-I don't know what to say?" she said as she held the orb delicately within her hand.

"All I need is a simple 'thank you' and your hand" he replied with a smile. "Why of course my lord, Thank you very much." She said as she gave him her hand and took the orb from her hand and blew the orb to her hand where the ring appeared on her ring finger.

"There you are! Now you are my fiancé in all respects." He said gently as he pulled away her bangs to see her face."You know I have loved you since far before we've respectably met." He said as he escorted her to a seat on the couch.

"I beg your pardon, but I don't understand." She replied as her face proved her words true with the evident look of confusion within her eyes.

"I gave you certain powers before we met because I had fallen in love with you. Which is why your wish was replied to so promptly." He replied his mismatched eyes meeting her deep jade eyes.

Ana's eyes diverted for a moment of brief thought. "I never knew that that storybook was real." She replied as she looked back at him.

"It was originally about a different girl whom was too young to understand. But that has been decades past." He explained.

Ana's eyes diverted from his over to the flickering fireplace. "How many others have you loved?" she asked calmly.

"Only one other in my centuries of living." He replied.

Ana got up, "I understand, now shall we get some work done today or is there that little to be done?" she asked

"I completed all that needed to be dealt with throughout the night after you had retired to your quarters for the night. I wasn't able to sleep last night." He replied calmly, "However it gives us ample opportunity to get to know each other better today. How about I show you the stables?" he said pleasantly as he stood and offered her his hand.

Ana smiled, "Why thank you my lord. I would love to." She replied as she took his hand.

The sound of light laughter between the two of them could be heard among the sound of galloping hooves along a quiet trail in the forest that lead to a babbling brook.

"Whoa!" said a worn out Jareth.

Ana pulled on the reigns for her horse to stop, which it obeyed. Ana was just as worn out, "How about we tie off the horses here and take a break?" She asked as she rested her head along her horse's mane and hugging its neck.

Jareth smiled at the sight of her and looked over to the clearing, conjuring a crystal orb within his hand and threw it into the clearing where a picnic lunch and a tapestry blanket lay. "A grand idea." He replied as he dismounted his horse and offering Ana his hand in order to help her off of her horse.

"Why thank you!" She said with a smile as she took his hand.

They laughed as they enjoyed their lunch joking lightly. Ana hated to admit it but her bondage was beginning to feel more like freedom as she began to grow fond of him. She would never admit it out loud however. She rolled back her sleeves washing her hands in the brook alongside Jareth who did the same. She soon couldn't resist her own playful nature and splashed water in his direction. "You dare challenge me my lady?" he asked mischievously as he splashed her back. She couldn't help but laugh and continue the battle.

Soon sopping wet the both of them they cleaned up the area and headed back for the castle. She couldn't help smiling in deep thought. "Thank you Jareth. I had a lot of fun today." She said as she looked over to him.

"I'm glad you were able to enjoy yourself. I have to admit that my worry for you was the main factor of my insomnia last night." He replied quietly as he looked over to her briefly.

"I'm sorry." She said as her eyes dropped down and then looked forward, "Last one home is a rotten egg and no magic!" she shouted behind her as she pushed her horse on into a high speed run and laughed lightly.

"Oh yeah... We shall see who that rotten egg is per se!" he said as he pushed his horse into a run as well and let out a light huff of defeat as he saw Ana standing beside her horse in the stable giving it a carrot.

"Seems I lost!" he said as he escorted his horse back into the stable.

Ana smiled proudly, "Seems so!" she replied as she escorted her horse back into its stable and pet its nose gently and looked over to Jareth with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ana and Jareth enjoyed the rest of their day rather happily. After supper Jareth escorted her to a room where there stood a rather beautifully crafted grand piano and various other instruments with a tremendous library of scores from both the above ground and underground. Ana couldn't help but run her fingers along the ivory keys of the piano.

One of her favourite past times aboveground on a hard day was to lock herself in a sound room by the music room and play the piano until her worries and anxieties seemed to almost melt away. She had a vast knowledge of many other musical instruments as well but much preferred the piano out of the many she knew how to play for the main reason that after a long while of playing she didn't get dizzy as she would from the other instruments. She had many of her personally bought scores already placed on top of the piano in her heavily decorated binder with a collage of various Japanese animation images strewn about strategically.

"Do you like it?" asked Jareth as a smiled played across his lips.

Ana could only nod breathlessly as she sat at the piano and run her fingertips along the keys before slipping her left foot at the pedals as she began to play a light tune. "I love it!" she replied as the tuned formed into one of her favourite song from the above ground from the band 'Barlow Girl.'

"I waited for you today, but you didn't show, oh... no... I needed you today, so where did you go?" she began singing.

"You told me to call, you said you'd be there, and though I haven't seen you, are you still there?" she continued as her voice began resonating with every chord she played.

"I cried out with no reply and I can feel you by my side, so I hold tight to what I know, you're here, and I'm never alone."

"And though I cannot see you and I can't explain why, such a deep deep reassurance you placed in my mind. We cannot separate 'cause you're part of me, and though you're invisible I trust the unseen." She said as her voice began to escalate with every crescendo.

"I cried out with no reply and I can feel you by my side, so I hold tight to what I know. You're here and I'm never alone! We cannot separate, you're part of me and though you're invisible I trust the unseen." She continued to sing as the bridge led to the chorus, "I cried out with no reply and I can feel you by my side so I hold tight to what I know, you're here! And I'm never ALONE!" She sang as the song ended after a few closing cadences.

Jareth couldn't help but applaud in awe as to how well she both played the piano and sang. "Wow! I never knew you that you sang that well! If you fail at becoming my wife, know that you could always be my personal musician!" he joked.

Ana grimaced at him, "Gee, thanks a lot!" she joked, "Personally however I live and breathe music, I've just never been gutsy enough to try and write my own music." She added as she dabbled with the keys to the intro to "My Immortal" by Evanescence. "Would you like to go for a walk?" she asked quietly.

"As you wish my lady." He said as he offered her his hand to help her up.

Ana smiled as they walked down to and through the garden conversing lightly about anything learning almost everything and anything about each other.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ana awoke the next morning in her room to her maid gently waking her. She groaned as she got out of bed and knew there were some wedding plans to attend to as well as other duties she had with Jareth in the study. She ate, washed and dressed, not bothering to do her make-up except for a bit of eyeliner to accentuate her almond eye shape.

She wore a black silk dress with ornate lacing of sliver running along the sleeves and the bust. Her hair was woven into a rather elegant twisted bun with a long strand of the twist falling down her back.

She soon exited the room to see the castle in a hurry doing many duties, evidently for the upcoming wedding. Ana walked down into the study to see Jareth waiting for her as he scrawled something on a parchment before handing it to a messenger and looked up at Ana with a smile. She was sure warming up to him, which seemed harder than she thought it was. She couldn't help but smile back seeing as he seemed to keep his formal demeanour around his subjects but only seemed warm with her.

"Come, we have some planning to attend to." He said as he stood from his desk and walked over to Ana taking her hand and placing a light peck on it before opening the door to escort her around.

The entire day was rather eventful, seeing as they didn't even stop to eat lunch. Ana seemed caught up in the planning and was sent off to have the traditional dress altered to her body shape and was shown samples of circlets and tiaras for her to wear on the wedding day. She picked out a rather simple one that seemed much like one she had dreamt of for when she was to get married above ground. It was a simple leaf circlet with diamonds that almost seemed like dew drops on the white and pink gold of the circlet; the leaves were left in a bright yellow gold. Silver threads ran though the fabric of her veil which was a simple gauzy silk that was so thin that it was very easily translucent. The veil fell down her back to her knees which seemed to flow into the train which would evidently have to be raised as to not damage the dress; however it would be easily taken off for the reception so she could dance with ease.

Every detail seemed to match her every desire of what she wanted in a wedding. Right down to the amount of peace lilies that were in her bouquet; which was white and ornamented with ivy running in long strands down almost to the floor.

He husband wasn't too far behind her as she was aided in most of the rest of the preparations of the menu and which of the many halls it would be held, or would it be held within the temple gardens or out in the main garden. Eventually they both decided on the temple gardens seeing as it was sacred and wanted their marriage to be accepted by whichever deities that ruled the underground.

With all the excitement Ana seemed rather at peace with herself, which nearly concerned Jareth until all the preparations were complete and they finally sat down for dinner. Ana was still rather happy and conversed with him asking who on the guest list was imperative to know and gain acceptance from. However he simply diverted from the conversation and asked if she was at all nervous about it, which was usually responded by a shrug and a simple, "Nothing I can't handle!"

She had come to accept the weight of her first promise to him and was at peace with her decision after her first and final break down.

The next day she was sent off with Jareth's advisor, whom taught her the little she needed to know about the ceremony and what acts to do when and the etiquette of the underground, which to her surprise was almost the same except for some minor differences of how to curtsy and a simple dance that seemed rather imperative to know.

The advisor, whom she had come to know as Kaman was a rather patient individual and allowed her to ask any questions, knowing if she was to make one wrong move she could be easily looked down upon the entire high court, which she couldn't mess up for Jareth's sake.

By the dinner time, she was rather exhausted but ate nonetheless and then went to relax in her favourite room playing song after song until everything eased her mind. Jareth couldn't help but smile. Under his direct instruction she would make a rather fine queen seeing as she never let her emotions cloud her judgement or her day.

"Ana?" He asked as he sat beside her on the piano bench.

"Yes?" she asked as she continued to play on the piano. She listened rather well no matter what she was doing especially when she was playing music.

Jareth stopped her hand which caught Ana's undivided attention rather quickly. "I hope you know I wouldn't force you into anything you wouldn't want to do right?" he asked her to assure himself that she would truly be happy with her choice.

Ana nodded, "I know, to be honest this is what I want. I've grown fond of you over the past few days." She replied.

Jareth couldn't resist himself anymore and pulled her in to kiss him. Ana was rather surprised but didn't argue him on it, she was eventually going to have to get used to it. Once he pulled away from her slowly Ana's head was a buzz. Her face bore the evident look of surprise on her face. She evidently wasn't going to pull him back in or leave or do anything any time soon, but brushed his thumb along her cheek. "I love you Ana." He said simply in a soft sultry voice.

Ana couldn't get many words out but managed only a few simple words, "Thank you... excuse me." She said in a whisper as she walked out of the room to her room her mind in a buzz of panic and indecision.

She entered her room and undid her hair as she thought over what had just happened and wondered how to react. She had never been truly kissed the way Jareth's lips placed themselves upon hers seemed like a perfect fit to hers.

She stopped fiddling with her hair as she sat at her vanity and ran her fingers along her lips. She didn't know what was happening to her. Was this love or just a school girl crush that was a result of the pending marriage to come? Her mind rushed through with questions unanswered.

Soon as if hearing her very thoughts a whisper made his way to her ear, "I didn't know you had grown that fond of me." Said Jareth's voice in a delicate whisper as he ran his fingers through her now loose curly locks.

"I didn't know either." She replied as she looked at him through the reflection in the mirror. She turned her body to face him as tears of unknown emotion ran down her alabaster cheeks. "I-I-I think I love you too." She said as she looked up into her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

To Ana all the days seemed to blend into one glorious day from then on until the wedding. She never seemed to want to leave his side unless absolutely necessary, which was very rarely since all the affairs with the gown had been taken care of.

The very morning of the wedding was one she would never forget. She was up well before sunrise of her own accord where she bathed and ate in silence before various maids and dressers came in to help her into her dress, which had a boned corset on it. A pendant that seemed to match Jareth's was hung on a single white ribbon that was tied as a choker around her neck.

Her hair was curled wonderfully and put up among many twist but no true effort was made to truly secure it too tightly. Her make-up was done simply in silver glows and her eyeliner was a silvery gray that brought out every feature. The circlet was then placed on her head and the veil was stuck in with a simple comb that could be taken out once the reception was over.

She loved how she looked but began feeling nervous as her anxieties about marriage began to set in. She was soon to be the queen of a place she knew little about except for its amazing labyrinth and the goblins in which inhabited it. Jareth explained that she would begin to look more like a fae as the months would pass by, her life span wouldn't be as limited to that of an average human's, but would be nearly immortalised freezing her aging to a standstill for years to come.

She was worried mostly about being below par. All of a sudden her maid sat her down, "My lady, if I am not being to bold as to give you a word of advice as a married woman to a bride to be would that be acceptable to you?" she asked.

Ana noded, "Go on ahead." She replied.

"I myself was immersed into an arranged marriage as many of the women of the underground. Know that as his wife, your respect will turn to friendship and eventually love as the years go by. As a newly found noble, it is unheard of to break apart as many married couples do above ground." She explained.

Ana nodded, "I understand." She replied.

A knock at the door then came and her honour guard came to escort her to the temple. She would be brought by carriage to the temple and would be escorted until she arrived to the aisle. The honour guard knew if he was to defile his position that it would mean immediate death for him therefore rode along side of the carriage to be sure to not over step his boundaries.

Ana was soon found at the door of the gardens of the temple of the twin gods of time. She took in a deep sigh and placed a smile on her face to mask her anxiety. The doors then opened and she took a deep breath before walking down the aisle. Taking in every detail she noticed that the gardens were almost ages old but still seemed to bloom on forever. There were dragon scales ornamenting the long running carpet to the altar to bless the marriage and elves sang songs that nearly sounded angelic.

Once she arrived to the altar she was greeted by Jareth and the priest. She took Jareth's hand and soon all he uneasiness disappeared as he pulled back her veil. The ceremony went on and by the end she and him kissed gently and went into the carriage she was escorted in at first.

The reception went very well seeing as Ana was a lost bird when it came to the rest of the formalities. She was introduced to all of the High Court and then the reception was done at night fall.

They soon entered what was now both of their room; it was twice the size of her first room. Ana pulled out her hair and released the rest from the circlet and placed it on the vanity, she was getting ready to untie her choker when Jareth brushed her fingers away and took it off, "Let me help you." He whispered to her.

He unlaced the corset as he kissed down her neck. Ana couldn't resist him as the dress was removed and all that remained was a simple white silk under-dress. He carried her to the bed which was covered by a red velvet comforter and was offset by black silken sheets.

He gently kissed her down her face and shoulders until they were completely one in every aspect of marriage. That night she curled up into his side and rested her head on his chest and drifted off to sleep as he ran his fingers through her long curly hair.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next morning Ana awoke to Jareth nudging her to wake her. She groaned as she curled into him and curled out of him to stretch. "Morning." She said groggily. It was barley sunrise when she looked out the window. "Let me sleep more! It's not even sunrise yet!" she grumbled as she rolled over and attempted going to sleep before Jareth tossed her a crystal that turned into water on contact drenching her, "I up!" she snapped as she got up and dragged herself out of bed and went on with her morning ritual.

"We have some affairs to attend to I'm sorry to say." He explained as he noticed Ana bob her head out of the washroom and throw him a glare.

"And you didn't see fit to tell me at least a few days in advance?" she asked with her mouth full of toothpaste somewhat irritated with him.

He drew out a formal dress for Ana and placed it on a hook of the bathroom door. "I prefer if you would wear this one today." He stated as he himself let her wash up.

The dress he picked out was simple yet elegant in every way. It was a simple green dress that capped her shoulders but went into long sleeves. It had Celtic chain knots around her collar and cuffs stitched in gold threads.

She bathed and curled her hair to leave it down and have it up. A simple tear drop circlet was slipped under her bangs which had an intricate Celtic design. A simple emerald was embodied in the tear drop. She put the pendant she wore the day before on a green ribbon and tied it in a choker around her neck.

Jareth by this time was in the bathroom getting himself cleaned up and dressed. He came out wearing a green velvet jacket with a black shirt under it with black breeches and knee high boots.

"Mind helping me with the back of this dress please?" she asked. It was a boned corset around the waist which she rather disliked but didn't argue with Jareth's decision.

"Of course!" he replied as he tightened the deep green ribbon lacing in her back tightly.

She slipped a hand on her stomach as he tightened it, once done she let out a slight breath. Ana smiled at him, "how do I look?" she asked as she smoothed her skirt over while slipping on some green shoes.

He smiled, "Beautiful." He said breathlessly.

She blushed lightly as she took the light luxury of doing some minor enhancements on her face with eyeliner, jade eyes shadow, and a rusty brown to her lips quickly. "So when do we leave?" she asked as she put in a set of dangling emerald earrings.

"We should leave about now to get to the High Council meeting in time." He replied as she got up and smiled.

With that they both left and she sat in the carriage. The trip was a half hour long, which gave Ana a chance to lightly rest her eyes a bit before arriving into the great city. Everything seemed to be made of white marble and crystal for windows. It was a breathtaking sight to see even for tired eyes. As the coach came to a halt at a great building that seemed to gleam in the morning light.

She was then helped out by Jareth and took his arm as they entered the grand building. In comparison to anything in the aboveground she seemed to find no attraction that could measure up to how beautiful it looked. The interior was lit by diamond chandeliers and silver mirrored walls reflected every bit of light in the main room making it look all the brighter. She soon felt anxiety settling in as she approached the grand doors that led to the room where the council were meeting.

Jareth gave her hand a light squeeze to allow her to know there was nothing to feel uneasy about. They soon arrived to their seat which was at the near head of the table. Many of the rest of the nobles had arrived and felt highly inferior to them, however held her head as high as Jareth did.

Soon the head of the table was filled with a couple. A pale High Elvin woman was sitting at the left of a male high elf with platinum hair and dark features. The court rose to meet them in unison as she followed and then they signalled them to sit which was done immediately.

"The meeting of the high council has convened at sunrise." Said the male elf.

The meeting seemed to draw on and on through the morning and was dismissed just before midday. Ana was evidently relieved to have been out of there but knew now what was going on within the courts and was an enlightening learning experience. "So how did you like it?" Jareth asked. Ana was ready to make a rather sarcastic remark but bit her tongue. "As much as I enjoyed the learning experience, I didn't understand much seeing as I never really paid attention to politics in the aboveground and never really had a mind for it." She replied honestly and politely.

He smirked, "You are allowed to say you hated it, I have to admit I dislike these meetings myself seeing as how tedious they are." He replied as he helped Ana into the carriage.

Ana sighed in relief, "Thank God! I have to admit I was worried I was going to be stuck with someone who loved politics for a second there. You seemed like you liked it the way you were actively putting ideas to certain issues among the council." She joked.

He laughed as he entered the carriage beside her. "I honestly only do that to seem as active as I have to be. Our kingdom is the next in line to rule over the high council when their rule is done unfortunately. So having a successor is almost imperative in our situation." He explained as the carriage began to move.

"I have to admit however that this is a beautiful place however. I never thought that I'd see something that exquisite in my lifetime." She said as she changed the topic away from politics.

She honestly didn't want to face the facts of child bearing so young in life, however would do anything to keep her kingdom afloat and from falling into dangerous hands. She wasn't sure how she did there; however knew that she would eventually grow into her duties as a queen soon enough. She let out a sigh and rested her head on Jareth's shoulder.

"I guess so, then again you haven't seen the capital of the High Elves. Now that is a sight to see. It looks so old and rustic, however seems beautiful with all the nature engulfing it in life." He described as he ran his fingers through Ana's hair where it hung loose.

They returned home much quicker than it took to get to the high capital of Eternialis, which she learned was the capital of the entire underground world. When they got home they indulged themselves in a minor nap before attending to any tasks appointed to them by the High Council. Ana seemed to put in a lot of positive input now that she was back into her comfort zone, which pleased Jareth immensely. After completing all the tasks needed and all the paperwork that went with it, they went down to the dining room and ate supper. After that they enjoyed a calm stroll in the gardens where it soon turned into a lesson of magic. Ana didn't catch on very quickly but was encouraged that it would take time for her powers to develop in full.


End file.
